The Mets are fielding a lousy team.
The Mets have fielded mostly lousy teams for 20 years now.
Even when they’re good on paper, they’re lousy on a diamond. This can’t be blamed on Minaya or Phillips or any of the GMs that have put these teams together. No matter who's GM, the result always seems the same. It’s the result of an organizational philosophy. Ever since the great teams of the 1980s were torn apart, it’s been the same formula over and over: a tired cast of generally indifferent, fireless mercenaries with what little homegrown talent that sprouts out a wasteland of a farm system usually winding up elsewhere.
When the mercenaries fail to live up to expectations, or go down with injuries, there’s never anything to fall back on. When the mercenaries do well, they generally fail to gel as a team and spit the bit when it counts. The failure to run out batted balls and frequent botching of routine plays often doesn’t make the box scores, but it almost seems like a Mets tradition at this point - we can all name the various offenders from the past two decades.
I can no longer blame the parade of different GMs, because the problem has proven to be endemic over the last 20 years.
I consider it the fault of an ownership that seems to despise colorful, scrappy gamers and loves “safe” colorless types that don’t play with intensity. I consider it the fault of an ownership that will sign a few big names to fill the seats, but won’t pony up a few million extra for guys like Abreu and Hudson to actually win when the roster is obviously full of holes. I consider it the fault of an ownership that seems to worry more about the menus in their exclusive restaurants than depth charts.
Not only do the teams reflect the dismal corporate philosophy of the owners, but I find the ongoing efforts to shed the team persona that won me as a fan in the first place and gentrify the team's image to be distasteful.
Meanwhile, prices have been raised so high that none of the Subway Series games have sold out and most of the better seats can be found for below their obscene face value on Stub Hub. I can’t really say the franchise has been a source of much joy of late.
I almost find myself wishing for things to finally bottom out so that Fred and Jeff will just sell the team. I don’t see much hope of significant change until then.
Thoughts?
The Mets have fielded mostly lousy teams for 20 years now.
Even when they’re good on paper, they’re lousy on a diamond. This can’t be blamed on Minaya or Phillips or any of the GMs that have put these teams together. No matter who's GM, the result always seems the same. It’s the result of an organizational philosophy. Ever since the great teams of the 1980s were torn apart, it’s been the same formula over and over: a tired cast of generally indifferent, fireless mercenaries with what little homegrown talent that sprouts out a wasteland of a farm system usually winding up elsewhere.
When the mercenaries fail to live up to expectations, or go down with injuries, there’s never anything to fall back on. When the mercenaries do well, they generally fail to gel as a team and spit the bit when it counts. The failure to run out batted balls and frequent botching of routine plays often doesn’t make the box scores, but it almost seems like a Mets tradition at this point - we can all name the various offenders from the past two decades.
I can no longer blame the parade of different GMs, because the problem has proven to be endemic over the last 20 years.
I consider it the fault of an ownership that seems to despise colorful, scrappy gamers and loves “safe” colorless types that don’t play with intensity. I consider it the fault of an ownership that will sign a few big names to fill the seats, but won’t pony up a few million extra for guys like Abreu and Hudson to actually win when the roster is obviously full of holes. I consider it the fault of an ownership that seems to worry more about the menus in their exclusive restaurants than depth charts.
Not only do the teams reflect the dismal corporate philosophy of the owners, but I find the ongoing efforts to shed the team persona that won me as a fan in the first place and gentrify the team's image to be distasteful.
Meanwhile, prices have been raised so high that none of the Subway Series games have sold out and most of the better seats can be found for below their obscene face value on Stub Hub. I can’t really say the franchise has been a source of much joy of late.
I almost find myself wishing for things to finally bottom out so that Fred and Jeff will just sell the team. I don’t see much hope of significant change until then.
Thoughts?
Comment